Street lighting

Lighting the way to Net Zero

Work to replace the borough’s streetlights with energy saving LED lighting has now been completed.

This means that all 28,000 street lanterns in the borough are now using more energy efficient LED lighting, with over 8,000 of the oldest concrete lamp columns also replaced as part of the project. At current costs, in 2023, £1 million a year in energy costs were being saved as a result.

In addition to the replacement within this total, all 709 of the Borough’s heritage street lanterns, heritage ‘gas lamp’ and ornate design lanterns that were installed in areas such as Chislehurst High Street and St Mary’s Cray High Street, have been retrofitted with replacement lamp units within the existing lanterns to retain their aesthetic appearance.

The replacement works has also included the replacement of 8,000 of the old concrete lamp posts, which have been upgraded to newer steel columns, and the addition of anti-rust and erosion-proof paint to increase their longevity.

The old streetlamps were lit using high (white) and low (yellow) pressure sodium lanterns, which tended to flicker and falter with age, as well as being less efficient in terms of light pollution and heat. The replacement of these bulbs with new low energy LED means that they are cheaper to run, easier to maintain, and more energy efficient in energy intake and directional light output, which means that more light is directed towards the pavement rather than up and outwards into the skies.

The completion of this project has helped the council maximise energy savings, provide more reliable lighting to residents and motorists and supports work to help achieve the council’s 2027 net zero carbon target and maximise financial savings to support other frontline services.